The system and method disclosed in this document relates to battery charging systems and, more particularly, to modular battery charging systems having multiple charging cores and charging ports.
A typical battery charging system 100 is shown in FIG. 1. The system 100 includes a battery charger 104 connected to a voltage bus 108. A high-voltage power source 112 provides power to the voltage bus 108. The battery charger 104 includes integrated power electronics 116 and a port 120. The port 120 is configured to connect to a battery 124 so that the battery 124 can be charged. The power electronics 116 include circuits for converting power from the voltage bus 108 into power for charging a battery 124. One disadvantage to this type of battery charging system is that, in order to charge multiple batteries to be charged sequentially, the batteries must be manually swapped in the charger port 120 after each battery is finished charging. Similarly, in order to charge multiple batteries simultaneously, additional battery chargers must be connected to the voltage bus 108.
What is needed is a battery charging system that enables simultaneous and sequential charging of several batteries, with minimal need for manual connection and disconnection of the batteries. It would also be advantageous if the battery charging system enable control of the charging processes for maximizing charging efficiency.